Many firms prepare a document in one tool, send it for signature from another and store the result somewhere else. Each handoff is a chance for the file to end up incomplete.
This article describes how to connect these steps so that the signed document returns to the matter, and what to check along the way.
The problem
A signed document that stays in an email or in the signature tool's account is not in the file. Later, nobody can say which version was signed or when.
Manual filing works until it is skipped on a busy day.
What is known
We found no independent figure on how connecting e-signature to case management changes a firm's work, and we give none. Vendors publish claims, and our article on vendor studies explains why they should be read with care.
What is certain is how the steps run: a document is prepared, reviewed, sent, signed and filed. A connection can carry information between the steps, but it cannot decide whether the content is right. Your attorney does that, and also decides which kinds of signature are valid for each kind of document.
What to do
- Write down the steps for each common document, from template to filing, and mark where a person must review
- Prepare documents from templates that draw on the matter record, so names and details are typed once
- Have an attorney approve a template before the firm uses it
- Send for signature from the matter record, so the request is linked to the matter from the start
- Return the signed copy and the completion record to the matter file, with the date and the signers
- Name files in a consistent way, and keep the draft, the sent version and the signed version distinct
- Track status in the matter: sent, viewed, signed, declined or expired, with an owner for follow-up
When not to connect them yet
- The steps for each document are not written down yet
- Templates have not been approved by an attorney
- The signature provider cannot say where documents are stored or who can read them
- The matter record is incomplete, so documents would be linked to the wrong matter
- The task is rare and a person can file the document in a few minutes
What to look for when you implement it
- Whether the signed document and its completion record both come back to the matter, and where they are stored
- Who can see documents in the signature tool, and how long the provider keeps them
- What happens if a signer declines, a request expires or an email address is wrong
- Whether the firm can export every signed document if it leaves the provider
- Whether your attorney has confirmed that e-signature is acceptable for each kind of document you plan to send
- Test the full path with a sample matter and sample signers before real use